When Justin Thacker started The Lab Gym in St. Louis nearly a decade ago, he never imagined how the demand for strength training facilities would increase in subsequent years. And while his first facility ... Continue Reading
Moving Beyond the Good, Bad, and Ugly of CrossFit
It is easy to point out the bad things that are found in gyms across America, not just at CrossFit gyms — or any gym with any methodology. If there are any methods that are possibly injurious towards the ... Continue Reading
The 5 Most Beautiful Outdoor CrossFit Boxes in the World
We’re not sure what it is, but here in the BarBend offices, we’re feeling a little restless. Maybe it’s the constant New York City construction and traffic (so...much...honking), or maybe it’s because the ... Continue Reading
NPGL’s Phoenix Rise Sign Natalie Newhart for 2016 GRID Season
In a move that's likely to surprise many in the functional fitness community, the National Pro Grid League's Phoenix Rise has announced the signing of former CrossFit Games athlete Natalie Newhart for ... Continue Reading
South Brooklyn Weightlifting Club Is Basically Barbell Disneyland
Tucked away in a narrow warehouse on the edge of Gowanus in Brooklyn exists a gym unlike most others in New York City. No marble locker rooms. No showers. No treadmills. The “cafe” is nothing more than ... Continue Reading
Why Becca Voigt’s CrossFit Games Streak Is a Mindblowing Accomplishment
CrossFit as a sport is young — incredibly young — so it's still difficult to gain perspective on athlete accomplishments over the years. Consistency changes definitions every year, and while it seems like ... Continue Reading
Four Russian Weightlifters, Including Aleksey Lovchev, Banned for Doping
The news isn't a big surprise to many fans of international weightlifting, but it looks like it's become official: Four Russian weightlifters — including (now former) 2015 World Weightlifting Champion ... Continue Reading
How to Watch USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Nationals
USA Powerlifting Nationals will take place from May 19-22 in Aurora, Colorado, at the Aurora Radisson Hotel. Checkins begin on Thursday, May 19th, with lifting taking place from May 20th through the 22nd. ... Continue Reading
Becca Day, Andrea Ager, Ian Berger, and Justin Cotler Talk Regional Strategy
Week 1 of the 2016 CrossFit Regionals season is over, and while they don't compete until Week 3, Team CrossFit Dynamix was watching closely. Ranked first out of the North East heading into the East Super ... Continue Reading
The 6 Heaviest Snatches Ever Caught On Film
Like all sports, weightlifting has its legends of near-mythical lifts hit in training or local/unfilmed competitions — snatches and clean & jerks rumored about but never confirmed. The most ... Continue Reading
CrossFit Regionals Week 1: Top 5 Scores On Each Event Regardless of Region
Week 1 of the 2016 CrossFit Regionals is over. Even though qualification is only based on scores within each Region, we wanted to pit all the scores against one another to see how they ... Continue Reading
NOBULL SuperFabric® Trainer Review: The Simple, Functional Shoe?
You've probably seen them in your local CrossFit box by now; first there was a trickle, then there was a flood. NOBULL's trainers are popping up more and more, and while the company has a long way to go ... Continue Reading
“Dan Bailey Under Investigation for Performance Enhancing Hugs” (And Other Week 1 Gems)
Ahhhhh, the internet. It’s a never ending source of amusement, horror, and information — often at the same time. In more civilized sports, angry fans take out their frustration during a casual street riot, ... Continue Reading
Kristine Andali Withdraws from CrossFit Regionals After Injuring Shoulder
In early 2015, Canadian CrossFit athlete Kristine Andali suffered an Achilles tendon rupture in training and had to sit out the rest of the season. After making an impressive recover and coming back strong ... Continue Reading
CrossFit Pacific Regional Day 1 Recap
CrossFit Regional season is upon us, and thanks to time zones, the Day 1 of the Pacific Region gave us a little preview of what we can see over the next three weekends. On the women's side, things went ... Continue Reading
Meet Kayla Banfield, the Pacific Regional Announcer Everyone Loves
We'll come out and say it: The Pacific Regional has the best announcing in CrossFit. The color commentators are knowledgable — especially when it comes to athlete backgrounds and history — as well as ... Continue Reading
NPGL Announces Season 3 Dates, Abbreviated Schedule
On May 12, the National Pro Grid League (NPGL) announced its full regular and postseason schedule for the 2016 season. And the league's third season will be its shortest yet. While the 2014 season ... Continue Reading
All the Top Times and Numbers for Week 1 of CrossFit Regionals
We're bringing you a one stop shop for times and numbers this weekend, so keep checking back for updates! We get that it's a ton of information, so we recommend that you Ctrl+F to search for what ... Continue Reading
CrossFit Regionals Week 1 Sleeper Picks
You’ve heard of the big names competing in this weekend’s set of CrossFit Regionals, but as we all know, there’s always someone who comes seemingly out of nowhere and makes a splash. We’re ... Continue Reading
USA Weightlifting Is Hiring
In a post from Wednesday, May 11th, USA Weightlifting announced significant staff restructuring. USAW CEO Phil Andrews gave the following quote in the article, implying the restructuring also means a ... Continue Reading
CrossFit Regionals Week 1: Experts Predict the Top Women
Now that we know how to and who to watch at this weekend’s CrossFit Regionals, it’s time to address another vital question: who will come out on top? With fewer than 1% of athletes and teams ... Continue Reading
Pretty Close to Perfect Protein Bars From Your Own Kitchen
Over here at BarBend, we’re kind of obsessed with any food that comes in block or bar form. We’re particularly fond of peanut-buttery or almond goodness made with added ingredients that don’t sound ... Continue Reading
How USA Weightlifting’s Men Can Qualify for the Olympics: An Explainer
If you thought it was difficult to watch the Woman’s Olympic Trials Sunday night and keep track of who was on the team and who was not, your work isn’t done yet: We’ve still got the men to deal with. Allow ... Continue Reading
Did Dmitry Klokov Just Invent the (Harder) Successor to “King Kong”?
Dmitry Klokov has one of strength's most impressive resumes: He's an Olympic silver medalist, weightlifting world champion, GRID competitor, an occasional bodybuilder, impromptu comedian, and ambassador ... Continue Reading